Goldfinger – The Knife

Goldfinger – The Knife

Such has been John Feldmann’s success as a producer in recent years, overseeing albums from the likes of Andy Black, Blink-182 and 5 Seconds Of Summer, you’d be forgiven if you forgot that he actually rose to fame as the frontman of Goldfinger. More or less the only full-time member of the band, Feldmann’s infectious personality shines through on latest album, ‘The Knife’. This is a ludicrously fun record.

For the most part, ‘The Knife’ deals in bouncy pop/skate-punk, but Feldmann makes a couple of enjoyable nods to his ska roots on the calypso-infused ‘Tijuana Sunrise’ and the joyous ‘Liftoff’. Still, it’s when Goldfinger go for broke and channel their punkier side that ‘The Knife’ impresses most. Opener ‘A Million Miles’ is frenetic and bombastic, complete with a brilliant “I just can’t hold it back no more” vocal hook; lead single ‘Put The Knife Way’ is a bona fide pop-punk banger; and somehow, a song called ‘Orthodontist Girl’ isn’t total garbage, and is actually one of the highest points of this superb album.

When it comes to pop-punk, John Feldmann might well be the elder statesman of the scene, but ‘The Knife’ is proof that there’s plenty of life in this old dog yet. Jake Richardson